We are informed that Rep. Heinrich's Legislative Director, John Blair, is now riding this issue. He can be contacted at john.blair@mail.house.gov

Please take a moment to email him and tell him how you feel about National Park Service plans to bulldoze a Tibetan Buddhist stupa in New Mexico.

We spoke with an e-journalist who interviewed a Hill staffer on this issue just this morning. He tells us there is definitely Congressional interest. This we understand from reading our logs.

Our counters reset at midnight, and by mid-morning, we began to see heavy traffic to the Albuquerque stupa post. Below, you see snapshots from our logs. At around 267, xxx in the day's visits, ranging through to 268, xxx -- by the way: we may not be the biggest Tibetan Buddhist blog in the world, but our readership is still substantial enough to make a difference. We take over a quarter million hits every day before noon -- much of that coming from outside the United States. This is not just a U.S. issue: no matter where you are -- let your voice be heard.

Our sources also tell us that Native American relics are in the stupa, which raises an entirely new palette of possible protections. I do not think that even the National Park Service, in all of its arrogance, can overcome the legal status of Native American relics.

The National Park Service must be feeling it: they visited our Albuquerque stupa posts, and then disappeared. We haven't seen them since. These people are weasels. Reporters are calling them, bloggers are calling them, Hill staffers are calling them, but everybody gets the run-around. We need answers, and we need them now.

Our next visitors to the story were more distinguished: the U.S. Senate staffers were visiting in depth.

More than one Senate staffer, from more than one Senate computer, thinks enough of this issue to do some reading.

Somebody in the Senate is coming back more than once, to make sure they have the story straight. Yes, there is a stupa in Albuquerque, and yes, the National Park Service thinks they have the right to bulldoze the stupa out of existence.

On the heels of the Senate came the House, which is where we are hoping to see some leadership on this issue.

More than one visitor came from the House, because there is more than one Buddhist in New Mexico, and they are in more than one Congressional District.

As in the case of the Senate visitors, the House visitors were coming back more than once. That is a very good sign.

Above, we noted a particularly long visit. They were reading, following links, and making copies. There are numerous other visits, but I trust you take the point: your emails and phone calls are effective. Do not stop. Keep it up. If you have not already done so, please add your voice to this issue.

17
reader comments:

Anonymous
said...

If there are Native American relics inside, they would've needed the permission of the tribe to do so, ceremonies would have been done. Is there a record of what local tribes would have been working with the stupa builders, maybe one of the Pueblo people in the area.

In any case, the spiritual/medicine people of the local tribes should be contacted on this matter. If they are Navajo relics, then a Navajo medicine person should be contacted as well.

We'll have to operate at all levels on this: gross, subtle and hidden.

I sent e-mail messages to Hon. Jeff Bingaman and Hon. Tom Udall from Singapore, stating clearly I was writing from Singapore, in support of the Albuquerque stupa. I hope they realise many outside USA are observing the matter closely.

True enough. Once upon a time I was a U.S. Senate staff member, and Paulie was working in the House. We used to eat at the sandwich place over near the Hart Senate Office Building -- when we weren't busy trying to save the world.

Does a religious monument belong on national park land? Does this monument have enduring historical significance that justifies preserving it? Were the former owners offered the opportunity to remove the relics before seizure? What was the legal basis for seizing the land in the first place?

@Greg Johnson: the land was seized under "eminent domain," which is government-speak for "we don't really need a reason, we just want this land, so get out." I understand that a fair amount of the West has been seized by eminent domain at one time or another over the past 100 years--in some cases, the majority of a state is owned by the federal government for purposes OTHER than national parks (for example, the nuclear test sites in Nevada).

And, frankly, if they can argue that keeping a Christian cross in Mojave isn't establishment of religion, then they have NO reason to tear down the stupa, which was originally built on PRIVATE land.

Eminent domain is theft, pure and simple. The fact that people are paid money to be forcibly removed from their own land doesn't make it any less wrong.

I may be the only Buddhist in Missouri that visits NM from time to time. But I emailed Rep Blair and my Representative to let them know my interest in this issue. Also asked my Rep. to add their attention to Rep Blair's.

Tenpa, keep us up to date if you hear any additional information, as I'd liek to write a follow up piece on this. House.gov has been to my site 3 times this morning, will be interesting to see if it goes anywhere.

I just had a quite pleasant call from Diane Sauter, superintendant/ director of Petroglyph Nat'l Monument. She assured me that there are no plans to raze-bulldoze-molest the stupa in any way . The construction workers on an amphitheatre some 500' distant will be alerted about the stupa. She said she will have official remarks about this on their [petroglyph monument?] site within a few days. She also said she'd gotten word back from feds ( director of Parks Dept!) in Washington about the whole issue so apparently the emails- calls- letters did have good effect. There's also going to be an article with pix in the Alb Journal within the next several days, maybe Sunday[?]. May this modest stupa continue to generate great benefit for all beings! Alan Suits

I just had a quite pleasant call from Diane Sauter, superintendant/ director of Petroglyph Nat'l Monument. She assured me that there are no plans to raze-bulldoze-molest the stupa in any way . The construction workers on an amphitheatre some 500' distant will be alerted about the stupa. She said she will have official remarks about this on their [petroglyph monument?] site within a few days. She also said she'd gotten word back from feds ( director of Parks Dept!) in Washington about the whole issue so apparently the emails- calls- letters did have good effect. There's also going to be an article with pix in the Alb Journal within the next several days, maybe Sunday[?]. May this modest stupa continue to generate great benefit for all beings! Alan Suits

Copyright (c) 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015 by Tulku Urgyan Tenpa Rinpoche, a corporation. All rights reserved. Individually copyrighted text and graphics herein are copyright the respective copyright holders. TRIGGER WARNING: The beliefs and opinions expressed herein may act as a trigger for your anxiety, PTSD, and/or feelings of guilt and self-loathing, If you suffer from these conditions, or if you entertain irrational beliefs that posts to this blog are written "just for you," please take stock of your obsessions before reading further.